USS America departs Singapore after concluding support for USS John S. McCain

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego-based warship USS America departed Singapore Sunday after concluding its support of the USS John S. McCain, which was involved in a collision last week that killed at least two sailors, with eight others still missing and presumed dead.

America, an amphibious assault ship, was the first U.S. warship to come to the aid of the McCain after it collided with the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Alnic MC early Monday in the South China Sea, according to a U.S. Navy statement.

The McCain sustained heavy damage to its port side in the collision, but was nevertheless able to sail back to dock in Singapore, where it was met by the USS America.

While in Singapore, America provided support to the McCain crew including berthing for 155 sailors, daily supplies, counseling, medical and dental services and communications support, Navy officials said. Sailors aboard America also assisted with damage control efforts by providing additional watch- keeping personnel and extra equipment, and coordinated with authorities in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in a search for the missing McCain crew that spanned over 2,100 square miles.

Helicopters searched several days for missing sailors in the waters near the Straits of Malacca where the collision occurred. That search was called off Thursday after it was determined that human remains found by the Royal Malaysian Navy were not those of a McCain sailor.

Camp Pendleton-based Marine divers also assisted Navy divers in searching flooded compartments on the McCain where it is believed the bodies of eight sailors still remain.

The McCain collision is the second time a Navy ship has collided with a merchant vessel in recent months.

The USS Fitzgerald struck the Philippines-flagged ACX Crystal in June, killing seven sailors, including two from the San Diego area.

The twin collisions resulted in an extremely rare, single-day "operational pause" across the U.S. Navy being ordered on Monday.

Navy officials also said Wednesday that Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin was removed from his position after Admiral Scott Smith, Pacific Fleet commander, lost "confidence in (Aucoin's) ability to command."

On Friday, divers found the body of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, of Suffield, Connecticut. Earlier in the week, divers found the body of Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.